Four Ways to Store Summer Clothes in a Small Space
First, let me be clear: I don’t want summer to end. I see my friends post absolute crap every day, wishing for “sweater weather” and “cozy season”, but I don’t support them in any way. I’m only telling you about smart summer clothing storage now, at the beginning of August, when we have weeks of warmth and happiness left, because accumulating the necessary things to organize things can take you a while. In the meantime, feel free to wear shorts, tank tops and open-toed shoes and don’t get too hung up on the inevitable cold that will come, as always, and steal our hot dogs, lobster rolls and tans. Just be prepared, that’s all I’m saying.
Vacuum bags
If you’re short on space but don’t want to rent a storage locker , you’ll have to keep your summer clothes as small as possible. What’s nice about this is that the summer clothes are already smaller than the larger winter clothes you’ll have to store during the warmer months. You can put a bunch of summer clothes in vacuum bags, which is what my mom always did when I was growing up. Of course, she just put our things in real garbage bags and sucked out the air with a vacuum hose, but that wasn’t the most reliable option. It is better to purchase bags designed for such things, for example these:
I like them because they come in different sizes. A large bag is better for, say, beach blankets, while a small one will help keep your swimsuits organized. As with any organization , you should keep similar items together in the same container, so variety is helpful. These bags become incredibly small when the air is sucked out of them; you can stack them on a shelf and take up much less space than if you put your clothes there separately.
Small hanging shelves
There are several ways I organize my wardrobe. I always do this by color, but I also do it by necessity, proactively identifying the things I need access to for a particular season or event. There’s no point in digging through the back of my closet and making a mess when I’m getting ready, so I switch things up every now and then. What worked for me was that I bought a small hanging shoe organizer and kept it in the back of my closet to store things that didn’t need to be taken out at some point. It looks like this:
It doesn’t take up a lot of space, but it does give you some shelves and compartments to stow smaller items like shorts and sandals. This is an especially good option if you’re going on a warm winter holiday and don’t want to have to remove suitable clothes from a vacuum bag. Items are within reach but still stored in a small part of the closet.
Storage furniture
I’m a big fan of storage furniture, which is well known by now , but it shines the most when I need to hide something I won’t look at for months. I recommend choosing a simple storage ottoman—which can be as small as a footstool or as long as a bench, depending on your needs—and rotating the way you put seasonal clothes in and out of it. Some things just don’t need to be in the closet all year round, but it’s hard to figure out where else to put them. Why not hide them inside something that will ensure recycling? Try something like this:
Your luggage
This is my advice that I’ve mentioned before , and I’m sticking with it: if you have out-of-season clothes, why not store them in your luggage? Your suitcases and duffel bags are already taking up space and are one of those inevitable evils that you can’t pack up, but also can’t get rid of. Make them work. If and when you go on a trip, simply remove everything inside, but during the colder months when you’re more likely to go somewhere warm, sometimes you don’t even need to take everything out. You just pack (well) before your trip. How smart of you!